GOVERNMENTTOREVIVEMEDIAFUND—INFORMATIONMINISTER

Government is determined to support the growth of the media by building the capacities of journalists in order to raise the standards of journalism and enable journalists to effectively investigate and communicate on all aspects of social development.

To that effect, Government will re-introduce the Media Development Fund.

The Minister for Information, Mr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, made these known in a key note address delivered at the opening of a workshop in Accra on Investigative Journalism on Free movement and Migration.

The three-day training workshop aimed to enhance the capacities of selected journalists on migration reporting.

The workshop, organized by Media Response and its collaborative partners, was expected to equip journalists with skills in investigative journalism on free movement and migration to promote the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement and to advocate for the rights and responsibilities of citizens on issues of migration.

It was also aimed at increasing the knowledge of the media on regional integration, migration and related concepts and their implication for the development of West Africa.

Mr Abdul-Hamid noted that given the current migration realities and dynamics, as well as the current global processes of urbanization and development, the media could not afford to ignore migration and its impact on economic development.

“It is, therefore, imperative that the Ghanaian media has a key role to play in the promotion of a safe, secure and intra-regional migration,” he said.

In a statement, Mr Samuel Dodoo, Executive Director, Media Response, said the training workshop would contribute to promoting knowledge and awareness of national and international framework for migration among journalists.

A statement, signed by the Head of ECOWAS National Unit, indicated that migration processes, if effectively managed, could be beneficial to the countries of origin and destination as well as the migrants themselves.

“In order to ensure the realization of the objectives of ECOWAS Common Approach on Migration, ECOWAS is collaborating with the European Union to support non-state actors to implement various interventions aimed at promoting free movement and limiting the challenges of migration,” the statement said.

In his remarks, Mr Eric Akumaning, a representative from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said there was the need for an effective migration governance structure and advancement of knowledge on migration in Ghana.

On his part, Mr Dominic Afriyie Agyemang, Deputy Director, Migration Unit, Ministry of the Interior, said migration had assumed importance in the global agenda and that its potential for economic and social development was gradually being brought to the fore.

For example, Mr Agyemang said, the flow of remittances to Ghana alone was estimated to outweigh that of foreign direct investment.